Proverb / Kotowaza
開いた口へ牡丹餅
Receiving unexpected good fortune or profit without making any effort.
A sweet rice ball falling into an open mouth
Quick Answer
Receiving unexpected good fortune or profit without making any effort.
- Literal Image
- A sweet rice ball falling into an open mouth
- Closest Equivalent
- Good luck comes out of nowhere
- How to Use It
- Used to describe lucky breaks, unexpected wins, or windfall profits that occur without the recipient's intervention.
Meaning
This expression describes a situation where luck or benefits come your way entirely by chance. It suggests that something desirable has 'fallen into your lap' while you were not even trying to obtain it.
Literal Image
A sweet rice ball falling into an open mouth
Equivalent Proverbs
Good luck comes out of nowhere
Matches the sense of unexpected luck.
How to Use It
Used to describe lucky breaks, unexpected wins, or windfall profits that occur without the recipient's intervention.
Tone
Neutral to slightly humorous due to the image of a rice ball flying into a mouth.
Examples
応募したことさえ忘れていた懸賞が当たった。開いた口へ牡丹餅とはまさにこのことだ。
I won a prize from a contest I had forgotten I even entered. It really was like a sweet rice ball falling into an open mouth.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
The vocabulary (mouth, open, rice ball) is simple, but the specific combination and the particle 'e' used with 'aita kuchi' are more advanced idiomatic structures.
開いた
あいた / aita
opened
口
くち / kuchi
mouth
牡丹餅
ぼたもち / botamochi
sweet rice ball
Usage Profile
Usage note: Ensure the listener understands that the luck was completely unearned, as the imagery implies being idle.
Misread Risk
Do not use this to describe a reward for hard work; it specifically refers to luck that comes when one has done nothing.
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Related Proverbs
Origin
The expression depicts the scene where a sweet rice ball (botamochi) happens to fly into the mouth of someone who is standing idly with their mouth wide open.
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
Tags
Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.